Will you be my valentine?
Published in Free (The Nation) on February 15
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| Pic by Chandana Wijesinghe (www.nation.lk) |
Love For Sale
In January, the price of a single
rose was 100 rupees. As soon as February took over, the price of these same
roses doubled. Some storekeepers were apologetic, “it’s the season,” they
explained. And that was enough explanation; we all knew which season he was
referring to.
If you flip through a newspaper published in February, you will be blinded by all the bright reds and the many offers on hotel reservations, gift items and jewelry. Nearly everything has been turned into a Valentine’s Day version. If we could buy tissue boxes with leaves or watermelon slices on the box a month ago, this month you could purchase a box with hearts or roses. Last month, phone cases were black or brown, this month they are red or pink. Pencils were yellow, black or red before, but now they have heart-shaped erasers. Cakes are red, pink and white, filled with strawberries and roses.
Think of a very unromantic situation. For instance, adventure programs like water sports or hiking. What’s romantic about spending all day cursing the hot sun while building a raft to get across a muddy river? Well, programs of this sort have also been included in Valentine’s Day deals and you can now prove your love by taking your significant other on an adventure they will not be expecting.
Once a year, love is put on sale and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to increase prices on anything that is in anyway related to gift-giving. There is of course, nothing wrong with this. People have already put Vesak, Christmas, Easter, mothers’ day, fathers’ day, teachers’ day, children’s day etc on the market, so it’s not surprising that love is on the list of commercialized celebrations or commemorations.
However, the question here is if Valentine’s Day is affordable anymore. While no one is forced to celebrate Valentine’s Day or give in to consumerism, there could be certain expectations from ones partner. You may not believe in Valentine’s Day, but you may still have to participate. If you are willingly paying high prices, the price tag on Valentine’s Day may not affect you, but if you are not willing to pay the price, you may realize just how expensive love can be.
Is love worth it? May be, but that depends on the people involved and their definition of love. Is it necessary? Again, it depends on the individual, and how they define love. However, regardless of the meaning and purpose of Valentine’s Day, there is no denying that it is an expensive celebration and that the price tag on love is quite high.
If you flip through a newspaper published in February, you will be blinded by all the bright reds and the many offers on hotel reservations, gift items and jewelry. Nearly everything has been turned into a Valentine’s Day version. If we could buy tissue boxes with leaves or watermelon slices on the box a month ago, this month you could purchase a box with hearts or roses. Last month, phone cases were black or brown, this month they are red or pink. Pencils were yellow, black or red before, but now they have heart-shaped erasers. Cakes are red, pink and white, filled with strawberries and roses.
Think of a very unromantic situation. For instance, adventure programs like water sports or hiking. What’s romantic about spending all day cursing the hot sun while building a raft to get across a muddy river? Well, programs of this sort have also been included in Valentine’s Day deals and you can now prove your love by taking your significant other on an adventure they will not be expecting.
Once a year, love is put on sale and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to increase prices on anything that is in anyway related to gift-giving. There is of course, nothing wrong with this. People have already put Vesak, Christmas, Easter, mothers’ day, fathers’ day, teachers’ day, children’s day etc on the market, so it’s not surprising that love is on the list of commercialized celebrations or commemorations.
However, the question here is if Valentine’s Day is affordable anymore. While no one is forced to celebrate Valentine’s Day or give in to consumerism, there could be certain expectations from ones partner. You may not believe in Valentine’s Day, but you may still have to participate. If you are willingly paying high prices, the price tag on Valentine’s Day may not affect you, but if you are not willing to pay the price, you may realize just how expensive love can be.
Is love worth it? May be, but that depends on the people involved and their definition of love. Is it necessary? Again, it depends on the individual, and how they define love. However, regardless of the meaning and purpose of Valentine’s Day, there is no denying that it is an expensive celebration and that the price tag on love is quite high.
Why make a big deal out of Valentine's Day?
A few decades ago, Valentine’s Day
was no big deal. It was just another day of the year. People did celebrate it,
but it wasn’t an ‘in-your-face’ celebration as it is now. While those in love
or in relationships eagerly awaited Valentine’s Day, there is a bunch of
people who are glad the day is done with. There are anti-Valentine’s Day sentiments floating around, although the majority of those who oppose Valentine’s Day do so because they see it as the commercialization of love and a big waste of time, rather than out of bitterness.
There are, however, people who are against the very idea of Valentine’s Day simply because they are bitter and angry. Most of us have had our share of heartbreak and for those of us who haven’t moved on or found someone, anything that reminds us of love or romance makes us cringe. Whether we like to admit it, there are times when we are suddenly hit by how alone we are. Public displays of affection remind us that there is something lacking in our lives. We see flowers, cake, chocolate and other goodies and wish someone would get us a gift.
We all have our moments of weakness, and Valentine’s Day reminds us of everything we don’t have. However, there is no hard and fast rule that you must be in a relationship to enjoy Valentine’s Day. It is overrated and silly, but there is something about Valentine’s Day that catches our attention. And the best way to deal with this is not by hating Valentine’s Day, but by embracing it with your whole heart. You may be single, but if you are a fan of commercialized celebrations, Valentine’s Day is the perfect day for you.
Even if you don’t want to waste a lot of money on not-that-great food and overpriced flowers, you need not be angry about Valentine’s Day. It just goes on to show how pathetic you think your life is. So what if you are single or don’t believe in love? Why do you have to insult and ridicule something people like or look forward to? You have the right to but is it necessary?
Love may not be something that should be limited to one day a year. It’s something we all feel, in various ways, all the time. However, sometimes, we need little reminders of the love we have in our life and the love we feel for other people. Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily have to be about gifts, flowers, hearts and romance. You could instead make the day even more special by showing your loved ones that a price tag can’t be put on your love for them.
Valentine’s Day may have passed, but that doesn’t mean your love for people has subdued. You still love them, and you can choose any time and day to tell people you love them.
people who are glad the day is done with. There are anti-Valentine’s Day sentiments floating around, although the majority of those who oppose Valentine’s Day do so because they see it as the commercialization of love and a big waste of time, rather than out of bitterness.
There are, however, people who are against the very idea of Valentine’s Day simply because they are bitter and angry. Most of us have had our share of heartbreak and for those of us who haven’t moved on or found someone, anything that reminds us of love or romance makes us cringe. Whether we like to admit it, there are times when we are suddenly hit by how alone we are. Public displays of affection remind us that there is something lacking in our lives. We see flowers, cake, chocolate and other goodies and wish someone would get us a gift.
We all have our moments of weakness, and Valentine’s Day reminds us of everything we don’t have. However, there is no hard and fast rule that you must be in a relationship to enjoy Valentine’s Day. It is overrated and silly, but there is something about Valentine’s Day that catches our attention. And the best way to deal with this is not by hating Valentine’s Day, but by embracing it with your whole heart. You may be single, but if you are a fan of commercialized celebrations, Valentine’s Day is the perfect day for you.
Even if you don’t want to waste a lot of money on not-that-great food and overpriced flowers, you need not be angry about Valentine’s Day. It just goes on to show how pathetic you think your life is. So what if you are single or don’t believe in love? Why do you have to insult and ridicule something people like or look forward to? You have the right to but is it necessary?
Love may not be something that should be limited to one day a year. It’s something we all feel, in various ways, all the time. However, sometimes, we need little reminders of the love we have in our life and the love we feel for other people. Valentine’s Day doesn’t necessarily have to be about gifts, flowers, hearts and romance. You could instead make the day even more special by showing your loved ones that a price tag can’t be put on your love for them.
Valentine’s Day may have passed, but that doesn’t mean your love for people has subdued. You still love them, and you can choose any time and day to tell people you love them.
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